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ERIC Number: ED233332
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1983-May-8
Pages: 19
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
A Survey of Reading Habits with Suggested Instructional Strategies: Elderly Adults.
Scales, Alice M.; Biggs, Shirley A.
The reading habits of 49 elderly adults were surveyed, using the SERA inventory, to examine two hypotheses: there is no difference among elderly adults' perceptions of their reading habits as related to factors of reading skill, preference, physical functioning, attention span/concentration, and emotional well-being, and there are no significant differences between married and single and between male and female elderly adults regarding their perceptions of their reading habits. The results disproved both hypotheses, indicating that the elderly subjects (1) were not physically incapacitated (they had usable vision, could hold and turn pages of books and newspapers, and could attend to and concentrate on their reading); (2) did not have to read and were not too busy to read; and (3) expressed a need for instruction in determining the author's purpose, developing critical and evaluative reading skills, understanding government documents, and using the library efficiently. The results suggest that a strong motivational element must also be included in reading instruction for the elderly. A subsequent three-phase instructional program based on what might be done for the subjects in the study addresses the issue of the amount of reading done by the elderly, focuses on opportunities for sharing reading and reading related experiences, and offers suggestions for addressing specifically diagnosed reading difficulties. (HTH)
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Teachers; Researchers; Practitioners
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the International Reading Association (28th, Anaheim, CA, May 2-6, 1983).